BMC 105 for $999?

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by Strelok [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/frame/2011-bmc-street-racer-sr02-shimano-105-complete-bike-8902.html

i was looking at this bike. I was thinking, with some custom wheels, old man mountain racks, a steel fork, it would be a good grocery getter/getting around bike.

am I fooling myself?

how does a carbon fork hold up in extreme cold anyway?

You don't know the answer already, or are you just fishing for comments from others so that you can shoot them down?

It's a race bike without eyelets for a rack, with a short chain stay length, and with lightish wheels not built for carrying a heavy load. It certainly does not have dimensions of a load carrying or touring bike, i.e. dimensions that promote stability and aren't designed to produce a nimble bike, which is exactly what the dimensions of typical race bikes do. It is the polar opposite of pretty much every bike you've asked about so far. Buying and using it for your intended purpose, though, will likely be a great "learning experience."

You will never encounter conditions cold enough to have any effect on the structural integrity of those forks. Carbon fiber is just as tolerant, if not moreso, as metals in cold environments. Carbon fiber used structurally (wings, tailplanes, and etc) has no problem whatsoever dealing with temperatures of -100° at 50,000 feet elevation.

probably right, but it's a really good deal. if only i still wanted a race bike.

That seems like a pretty nice bike for that price, but yeah not the bike you want for what you are looking to do...

That is a nice looking bike, why on earth would you want to mess it up by adding racks on it to carry anything other than yourself, are you mental mate...

to use the bike for commuting and what not. cycling is more of a traveling thing for me than a going around in circles for no real reason thing.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by Strelok [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

to use the bike for commuting and what not. cycling is more of a traveling thing for me than a going around in circles for no real reason thing.

That's odd because most cyclists who ride for racing, training, general fitness, recreation, commuting........don't consider themselves to be going around in circles for no real reason. Do you know something they don't?

yes. panniers are better than back packs for commuting.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by Strelok [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

yes. panniers are better than back packs for commuting.

Based on what? Your needs? It is likely....no, it is certain......that the needs of all commuters are not congruent with yours. The idea that panniers are better than backpacks for commuting is as factual as the statement that brown shoes are better than black shoes. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you the one that isn't so sure about what bike you need and are short on experience? How does that jive with pronouncements about what is better? Likewise, what does "riding in circles for no real reason thing" mean? Keep in mind, there are a lot of folks who have much more riding experience than you and don't stoop to making such proclamations about how other folks ride.

Your approach to encouraging people to help you with your decisions about bikes and bike parts is certainly, uhm, unique.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by alienator [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Based on what? Your needs? It is likely....no, it is certain......that the needs of all commuters are not congruent with yours. The idea that panniers are better than backpacks for commuting is as factual as the statement that brown shoes are better than black shoes. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you the one that isn't so sure about what bike you need and are short on experience? How does that jive with pronouncements about what is better? Likewise, what does "riding in circles for no real reason thing" mean? Keep in mind, there are a lot of folks who have much more riding experience than you and don't stoop to making such proclamations about how other folks ride.

Your approach to encouraging people to help you with your decisions about bikes and bike parts is certainly, uhm, unique.

riding in circles means riding around in a loop for the sake of riding and not transportation.

and more correctly, it's a statement that's as factual as saying having more pressure on your crotch when in the saddle is worse than having less pressure. it's also as factual as saying having a big bag on your back that makes you sweat is worse than just using panniers. it's also as factual as saying that having heavy [censored] weigh down your shoulders is worse than not.

i can see how a messenger could use a pack, but even some of them are going to panniers IIRC.

So, yes, panniers are superior for commuting and grocery getting.

and yes, i will be using the bike to get around more than ride around for no real reason.

if you think that riding about in a loop is something is something of real purpose, then enjoy. I'm not of the same opinion. To me that's just jollying about.

and the statement still stands. the point in a bike for me is efficient cheap transportation. panniers make it more efficient by lessening the strain on the rider. I was thinking that since it was so cheap and well specced and a fairly fast looking bike that it would be a good deal for such transportation even if it's a bit flimsy for my taste, but i was probably wrong.

also, you may want to lighten up a bit. if something like that post sets you off then you've probably got issues greater than this that you should be dealing with. it was made in part in jest BTW.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by Strelok [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

riding in circles means riding around in a loop for the sake of riding and not transportation.

and more correctly, it's a statement that's as factual as saying having more pressure on your crotch when in the saddle is worse than having less pressure. it's also as factual as saying having a big bag on your back that makes you sweat is worse than just using panniers. it's also as factual as saying that having heavy [censored] weigh down your shoulders is worse than not.

i can see how a messenger could use a pack, but even some of them are going to panniers IIRC.

So, yes, panniers are superior for commuting and grocery getting.

and yes, i will be using the bike to get around more than ride around for no real reason.

if you think that riding about in a loop is something is something of real purpose, then enjoy. I'm not of the same opinion. To me that's just jollying about.

and the statement still stands. the point in a bike for me is efficient cheap transportation. panniers make it more efficient by lessening the strain on the rider. I was thinking that since it was so cheap and well specced and a fairly fast looking bike that it would be a good deal for such transportation even if it's a bit flimsy for my taste, but i was probably wrong.

also, you may want to lighten up a bit. if something like that post sets you off then you've probably got issues greater than this that you should be dealing with. it was made in part in jest BTW.

I'm light already. It's just funny to read proclamations about "factual statements" and judgements about what kind of riding is what from someone that needs so much help figuring out what to buy to ride. You would think that knowing as much as you do about cycling facts and what is and isn't necessary, you wouldn't need advice about what to buy from the simple plebians on a cycling forum.

What is fact seems to diverge, sometimes greatly, from what you say is fact.

For the record, if you're having pressure in your crotch, you better check you position on the bike or get a new saddle. You're supposed to be sitting on your sit bones, not your crotch.

I'll bet all those commuters who have been commuting for years with backpacks or messenger bags successfully and without pain, discomfort, or any issues at all can't wait to be informed of the crucial discovery you made about commuters and what's best for them. You should tell them in a year or two.....once you've decided what bike your going buy.

that's true. my sit bones seem to be rather wide and my saddle is currently already considered wide, but that's not what i want to deal with here.

and i did not say that my opinion was factual. although in light of my crotch argument it is very close to being factual. (i noted by the solidity of my statement its nearness to fact was quite close... implicitly at least. not that it was fact IIRC. if i don't recall correctly and i did say "hey man, this is a fact!" then i apologize.).

and i know what i WANT. i WANT a comotion pangea with a few component changes. but $4000 is a bit high for me. so, i'm trying to find something else that will placate me in some way.

Just got done riding in a 60 mile circle for no real purpose.

Got to see the ocean with winter waves for about 30 minutes, listen to a couple of very funny podcasts, enjoy both the breeze in my face and the burn of the concentration of both mind and body, and burned about 2200 calories along the way.

Yes I am back where I started and it's 5 hours later, but what a great way to waste time.

Now on to painting my wife's van.....

Happy Sunday 🙂

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by rxter [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Just got done riding in a 60 mile circle for no real purpose.

Got to see the ocean with winter waves for about 30 minutes, listen to a couple of very funny podcasts, enjoy both the breeze in my face and the burn of the concentration of both mind and body, and burned about 2200 calories along the way.

Yes I am back where I started and it's 5 hours later, but what a great way to waste time.

Now on to painting my wife's van.....

Happy Sunday 🙂

For the sake of the gods, why didn't you do something worthwhile like using your bike for transportation to work or a grocery store, instead of doing something so pointless as to go for a nice ride in a "circle?"

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by Strelok [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

if you think that riding about in a loop is something is something of real purpose, then enjoy. I'm not of the same opinion. To me that's just jollying about.

A quick calculation indicates since moving to Brooklyn I have managed well over 10,000 laps in Prospect Park. I am stricken to find out that engaging in this activity which I thought was keeping my heart strong, my weight down, my mental health in check, and providing a floating sense of well being at all times, was all for naught. Thankyou for bringing this to my attention and thank goodness the new Call of Duty is out, I can now migrate my activity over to something worthwile.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by Strelok [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

to use the bike for commuting and what not. cycling is more of a traveling thing for me than a going around in circles for no real reason thing.

the BMC is too good of a bike for you, just go buy some used commuter for 300 on ebay, by the way you go to work in the morning and then go back home on the afternoon, so you are also riding in circles,

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by Strelok [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

to use the bike for commuting and what not. cycling is more of a traveling thing for me than a going around in circles for no real reason thing.

Then why are you looking at and and asking us about a sport racer? You seem to already know it's pointless.

There are bikes, full-bore touring bikes, like the Trek 520, and "recreational" cyclocross bikes with eyelets for fenders and carrying stuff, like the Specialized TriCross and Raleigh Roper (rei.comraleigh roper bike 2012Open ↗), that would be more appropriate for your purposes, and quite reasonably priced, too.

Hey, I really like that Roper.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by oldbobcat [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Then why are you looking at and and asking us about a sport racer? You seem to already know it's pointless.

There are bikes, full-bore touring bikes, like the Trek 520, and "recreational" cyclocross bikes with eyelets for fenders and carrying stuff, like the Specialized TriCross and Raleigh Roper (rei.comraleigh roper bike 2012Open ↗), that would be more appropriate for your purposes, and quite reasonably priced, too.

Hey, I really like that Roper.

The Roper is a sharp looking bike and likely a steal at that price. It looks like it's got eyelets on the back for a rack or a fender. It doesn't like there are eyelets on the front, but that's easy enough to get around. It's classily finished, too.